Sooty Shearwater and Arctic Tern When it comes to long distance endurance, there’s a heated rivalry between two sea birds. For years, the Arctic tern held the title of the bird with the longest migration, traveling from the Arctic all the way to the Antarctic, and back again, each year. They literally migrate from one end of the planet to another. Then, scientists discovered that the sooty shearwater also has an impressive migratory journey, beginning in New Zealand and ending in the North Pacific. Each bird was estimated to travel over 40,000 miles annually.

However, a recent study reports that the Arctic tern can go as far as 50,000 miles, making it the favorite in this year’s Animal Olympics. But who will take the gold and who will settle for the silver is anyone’s guess! One thing is sure, compared to these two avian migrants, the Pacific gray whale, the longest migrating mammal, can only hope for the bronze with a round-trip journey of only 12,000 miles.